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Highest dose of metformin and diet

nicki_484

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi,

If you are on the highest dose of Metformin how do you know how many carbs to eat to manage your sugar levels?

A friend of mine wants to diet but is worried about having a hypo because of the medication, doctors haven't been clear.

Thank you.
 
If your friend is just on Metformin there’s very little chance of going hypo. I take 1500mg per day and my lowest ever reading has been 4.6.
The only way for her to know how many carbs she can tolerate is to test her blood sugars before a meal and two hours after first bite. She/he needs to try and stay within these guidelines:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html
 
nicki_484 said:
Hi,

If you are on the highest dose of Metformin how do you know how many carbs to eat to manage your sugar levels?

A friend of mine wants to diet but is worried about having a hypo because of the medication, doctors haven't been clear.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Being on Metformin, even at the highest dose, does not make any difference to how few carbs someone can eat. Your friend would do well with a blood glucose meter which will help her discover for herself how many carbs she can tolerate.
 

Thank you. At what point would you be able to lower your dose of Metformin?
 
nicki_484 said:
Thank you. At what point would you be able to lower your dose of Metformin?
Click to expand...
I guess she’d have to discuss that with her Dr. I’ve got my HbA1c down to non diabetic levels but am happy to stay on the tablets at my current level as they have other health benefits and I tolerate them well.
 
Rachox said:
I guess she’d have to discuss that with her Dr. I’ve got my HbA1c down to non diabetic levels but am happy to stay on the tablets at my current level as they have other health benefits and I tolerate them well.
Click to expand...
Hi @Rachox I came off Metformin when I was consistently below 4.5mmol/l fbs. I think the push came from wanting to be non-diabetic. However, I have since wondered whether I was too hasty as I keep reading about 'other health benefits'. Can you tell me what these are please?
I didn't suffer any side-effects from Metformin, although I was only on 1000mg/day. I don't want to take any medication unless there is a clear benefit. However, I have gone back to 10mg Atorvastatin because of my family history of heart disease, and I wonder if going onto a low dose of Metformin may also be a good idea.
 
I’ve Googled it many times when I first went on it and these are some of the benefits (aside from the benefits to type 2 of course!) that I’ve read about, cancer and glaucoma prevention, cardio vascular and cholesterol benefits, appetite suppression which aids weight loss, I’ve definitely benefitted from the last one.
 
It is all about blood glucose, as far as I am concerned.
I started out on tablets, but was really ill and almost housebound with them.
After giving up the tablets and then a few more weeks eating low carb foods I was no longer in the diabetic range, and at six months test results were normal.
I saw my post meal readings, which I engineered to be under 8mmil/l drop down to under 7, and go lower as the weeks went by.
 
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